Memex Automation Talks Benefits of Automated Approach

Originally published online by SBW!RE.  Link to full article here.

Memex understands the need to be more competitive and get the maximum throughput with your machine assets in manufacturing. To be able to “visualize” how your machines are operating allows customers to react quickly to situations. Measuring what actually happens on the shop floor allows manufacturing and industry leaders to tune processes using lean manufacturing techniques. Apply the Theory of Constraints principle by monitoring and identifying a constraint. Improve operator productivity and satisfaction by helping them perform faster and reduce their data collection overhead using automatic and accurate tracking systems. OEE – Overall Equipment Effectiveness is the key performance indicator that drives this machine monitoring process.

“OEE is a Manufacturing Productivity Tool for Real-Time Monitoring enabling Increased Productivity,” according to John Rattray, of Memex Automation. “By monitoring assets such as tooling, raw materials, Work In Progress, computers, vehicles and any moveable assets, companies can know quickly, exactly, and securely where assets are located. Ultimately this is an automated approach because we measure the shop floor allowing our customers to manage the top floor.”

This automated approach provides the following:

  • Automated data collection from machine
  • Accurate and objective information
  • Not reliant on operator
  • Down Time Log – detailed to the second reporting all down time with reason codes
  • Historical data from analysis
  • Visibility of machine performance in real-time
  • Proactive alerts rather than reactive
  • Leading OEE Metrics, automatically
  • Minimize “Cultural Impact” on operations
  • 20% of cost of PLC based solutions
  • No need for Barcode scanning (optional)
  • Connect to any machine
  • Supports OPC standards
  • Supports MTConnect standards (serve data from machine to the consumer application)
  • Event monitoring
  • Send job/shift completion results automatically back to ERP/MES

Many sectors are represented in the Memex customer roster, including:

  • Aerospace – Boeing, Goodrich, Dowty, Parker Hannifin, Héroux Devtek
  • Automotive – GM, Ford, Magna, Eaton, Linamar
  • Industrial – Caterpillar, John Deere, Westinghouse, Vickers, Case, Sanmina
  • Government – National Research Council, Jet Propulsion Laboratories,
  • The Royal Canadian Mint